Thomas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the surname Thomas lie in the rugged landscape of Wales. Thomas was a popular Medieval given throughout Europe, coming from the popular biblical name. It is ultimately derived from the Aramaic personal name meaning “twin.” Prior to the Norman Conquest, this name was rarely found, but by the 13th and 14th centuries, it became extremely common in Britain.

Early Origins of the Thomas family

The surname Thomas was first found in Breconshire (Welsh: Sir Frycheiniog), a traditional county in southern Wales, which takes its name from the Welsh kingdom of Brycheiniog (5th-10th centuries), where the family claims descendance from Owen Glendower, Lord of Glyndwyrdwy, Prince of South Wales.

Early History of the Thomas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thomas research.

Thomas Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person’s name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welshnames into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Thomas has occasionally been spelled Thomas, Tomas, MacThomas, FitzThomas, Thomasett and others.

Early Notables of the Thomas family (pre 1700)

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir William Thomas of Folkington; Rt. Rev. William Thomas D.D. (1613-1689), a Welsh Anglican bishop, Dean of Worcester (1665-1683).

Thomas World Ranking

In the United States, the name Thomas is the 12^nd most popular surname with an estimated 773,457 people with that name. [1] However, in Canada, the name Thomas is ranked the 42^ndmost popular surname with an estimated 41,057 people with that name. [2] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Thomas is the 419^th popular surname. [3] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Thomas as 187^th with 219 people. [4] France ranks Thomas as 4^th with 95,387 people. [5]Australia ranks Thomas as 13^rd with 57,043 people. [6] New Zealand ranks Thomas as 26^thwith 5,802 people. [7] The United Kingdom ranks Thomas as 8^th with 162,177 people. [8]Netherlands ranks Thomas as 689^th with 2,710 people. [9] South Africa ranks Thomas as 203^rdwith 31,908 people. [10]

 Migration of the Thomas family to Ireland

Some of the Thomas family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Thomas migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Thomas 

Thomas Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Joe and Robert Thomas, who all, who settled in Virginia in 1621
• Mr. Nathaniel Thomas, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship “Temperance” [11]
• Mr. John Thomas, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship “Southampton” [11]
• Mr. Richard Thomas, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship “Speedwell” [11]
• Mr. Thomas Thomas, (b. 1605), aged 30, British settler traveling aboard the ship “Safety” arriving in Virginia in 1635 [12]